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Rep. Black Blasts Illegal IRS Contracts to Tax Cheats

June 24, 2015

Press Release

Washington, DC– Today Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, responded to a government watchdog report showing that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doled out nearly $19 million in contracts to corporations that owed back taxes in fiscal years 2012 and 2013, despite such payments being banned under federal law. Black released the following statement:

“The IRS continues to stand as a shining example of everything that Americans despise about Washington bureaucracy,” said Congressman Diane Black. “When families in my district don’t pay their full tax bill by the filing deadline – even if it is the result of an honest mistake – they can expect a penalty. But apparently if you are a well-connected corporation that doesn’t pay up at tax time, the IRS rewards your delinquency with a government contract. From prioritizing employee bonuses over taxpayer assistance, to keeping tax cheats on its own payroll, the hits keep coming at the IRS and Americans are rightfully demanding to know who is minding the store at this embattled agency.”

Congressman Black added, “It is shameful that Democrats in Washington are obstructing the appropriations process to secure more money for the IRS when this is how their funds are spent. My colleagues and I on the Ways and Means Committee will continue to enforce aggressive oversight into the IRS’s affairs to ensure that hardworking Americans who actually pay their taxes are not further defrauded by this agency’s incompetence.”